I love salsa (playing and dancing it) and I know good salseros usually play on baby basses (like the ampeg), however, my budget does not allow for buying a baby bass by any stretch of the imagination. So I was wondering if there is something I can do to make my electric bass sound somewhat similar to a baby bass. My bass is a five string fretless jazz btw, and I also have a Fender p bass but I don't think that one has a good tone for salsa. Oh and both basses have flatwound strings on. Any advise will be greatly appreciated :)

Bump, is there no love for salsa around here:eek:

I have a feeling that the hotter salsas would eat through your finish and possibly deaden your strings....









Sorry...couldn't help myself...:smug:

That being said...John Glascock (bassist for mid to late 70s Jethro Tull) played in a progressive flamenco rock band (I know...not salsa, but still) and he played a pbass through an Ampeg SVT/810 stack. Sounded great (check out Carmen's first album...it's pretty good)....he used roundwound strings...maybe that would do it for you...maybe too bright though...maybe a foam mute might help? The fretless jazz might be great with it too! Actually, I have no idea...carry on.

Alot of the contemporary salsa I listen to uses electric bass just as much as the baby bass or upright. If im playing electric bass on a song that was recorded with upright I'll usually utilise the thumb / palm muted technique with a fair bit of pressue to get a good thud with little sustain. Some poeple also recommend playing higher up the neck on the E and A strings as oppose to the same note on the D ang G to get a rounder fuller sound...

I've played TONS of salsa and never used anything but electric bass. Make it groove, and don't worry about not having a baby bass.

Thanks for the replies, I'll try the palm muting thing. I had also thought about the rubber foam thing, I don't know, I guess I'll have to try and see how it goes. And Pacman, I've also played salsa with electric, it's not that it doesn't work. It's just that I would really like the thumpy, fast decay sound of a baby bass. I totally agree with you though.

Thanks for the replies, I'll try the palm muting thing. I had also thought about the rubber foam thing, I don't know, I guess I'll have to try and see how it goes.

I use a piece of thick foam at the bridge of my jazz or p-bass (depending on my mood) to get an upright-like sound when I play the blues. It works awesome...quick decay and thumpy notes. It might be just what you are looking for.

Ditto what pacman said. Lot's of salsa on electric. Resist the temptation to get too fancy and you'll be fine.

I saw Irekere with Carlos D´l Puerto playing electric bass in Denmark some years ago. Granted, Irekere often ventured away from pure salsa but when they played straight salsa, oh man...

Make it groove, and don't worry about not having a baby bass.

Agreed:
My instructor has wrist problems and switched to
electric bass. He uses a fretted F bass 5 with roundstrings, and just bought fretted F bass 6 'er. We were joking and he
wanted to buy my 6 Fretless F bass.

It's in your all technique- as he uses his fingers. I use both
palm & thumb for certain tunes- and fingers for other tunes in Salsa.

If I had more time I 'd study with him more often. David BeLove.
http://www.musicandela.com/pages/bandbios.html

I play in a latin jazz band and perfer the sound of a jazz bass using the palm mute. But belive it or not the best sound of a baby bass sound thru an electric bass without palm muting is actually one of does cheap hofner beatle bass copy with flatwounds. Mine was a jay turser model and i played in the middle portion of the neck and sounds perfect. dan

Here are two of the most prominent electric bass players from the Salsa genre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qK5WoHqE9U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uifamFgObfw

Also go to www.bassplayer.tv > Channels > Artist Features > Rubén Rodríguez. A fellow TalkBasser, a true master of the genre. :cool:

Interesting - the tone of Salvador Cuevas' bass makes it sound almost as though he's using a bow.

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uifamFgObfw

That's a killer bass tone. Is that an Ampeg bass?

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uifamFgObfw

That's a killer bass tone. Is that an Ampeg bass?

Yes. An Ampeg Scroll.

Also go to www.bassplayer.tv > Channels > Artist Features > Rubén Rodríguez. A fellow TalkBasser, a true master of the genre. :cool:[/QUOTE]

I didn't know there was bassplayer tv station! :hyper:
Reminds me of my lessons with Dave Belove! nice.

Also noticed the tv station has my other teacher on it:
Kai Eckhardht ( ex John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham.)

Thanks.
Dennis